Sweden hit by 'substantial' oil spill: 18 September 2011

The clean up operation began Thursday night and will continue "for several weeks (...) but most of the work will be completed in the coming days," she said, adding that decontaminating the affected beaches will likely take much longer.

The coast guard has already collected more than 130 cubic metres (130,000 litres) from 's southwest coast, according to the statement.

The Post, citing a bird rescue official, reported up to 15 birds covered in petrol have A small vessel sailing on a thick already been discovered. oil slick in Tjorn, western coast of Sweden, on September 17. A recent oil spill near the Sweden's "It is difficult to assess how many birds are affected, southwest coast is the worst in the area in years and the but we can estimate hundreds, perhaps a clean up will take weeks, the Swedish coast guard said thousand," Tommy Jaeraas of a Swedish bird Sunday. rescue centre was quoted as saying.

(c) 2011 AFP

A recent oil spill near the Sweden's southwest coast is the worst in the area in years and the clean up will take weeks, the Swedish coast guard said Sunday.

Authorities first learnt of the spill on Thursday, but its magnitude was not immediately clear.

"The accidental oil spill, on which the the coast guard is working day and night in the Bohuslan archipelago, is the most substantial in the southwest of Sweden in many years," a statement said.

Coast guard official Birgitta Andersson said authorities suspect the petrol contaminated the sea following a collision between two boats off Denmark's west coast on September 10.

"We don't know where the oil came from, but that's probably it," she said, adding the oil was likely pushed to land by strong winds.

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APA citation: Sweden hit by 'substantial' oil spill: coast guard (2011, September 18) retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2011-09-sweden-substantial-oil-coast.html

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